Shortlist for the Kobzar Literary Award

The Ukrainian community in Canada, estimated to include more than 1 million people, has contributed to all facets of Canadian society, and The Kobzar Literary Award exists to celebrates narratives that address Ukrainian-Canadian themes. Canada is home to the third largest Ukrainian community in the world after Russia and Ukraine itself, and this celebration is a relevant and positive way of shining a light on a vibrant Canadian community.

The $25,000 award has been presented biennially by the Shevchenko Foundation since 2003. This year, the award will be presented at a gala dinner in Toronto on March 2. All five of the nominated authors will attend the event.

The 2016 jury is an acclaimed, multi-genre group of writers made up of Karen Connelly, Tamas Dobozy and Shandi Mitchell. The jury acknowledged their gratitude for the chance to read the submissions and select the shortlist, highlighting that they were "grateful, as well, for the insights... offered us into a cultural and historical tradition that were not necessarily our own. Throughout the course of reading and viewing these works, we developed a greater understanding of and appreciation for Ukrainian culture and its importance.”

The 2016 Kobzar Literary Award shortlisted nominees are:

Grant Buday for The Delusionist (Anvil Press; Vancouver, 2014)

Orest Martynowych for The Showman and the Ukrainian Cause: Folk Dance, Film and the Life of Vasile Avramenko (University of Manitoba Press; Winnipeg, 2014)

Adam Lindsay Honsinger is a Toronto-based writer, teacher and illustrator. His work has been published in several literary journals including Descant and PRISM International, has twice been nominated for The Journey Prize and his story "Silence" won Silver at the National Magazine Awards.